Advances in directional drilling (i.e., horizontal drilling) along with advances in hydraulic fracturing have made economical the production of oil and gas from shale formations. However, placement of the horizontal borehole (also known as a lateral) in a shale formation requires particular accuracy. For example, a shale formation may be several thousand feet below the surface, and the shale formation itself may be on the order of 1000 feet thick. Within the illustrative 1000 feet of thickness only a few relatively thin zones, each zone on the order of tens of feet thick, may be suitable locations for placement of the lateral and extraction of hydrocarbons (i.e., target zones). Outside the target zones, some hydrocarbon extraction may be possible, but such extraction is in most cases not economically viable.
The distinction between zones within which hydrocarbon extraction is economically viable, and zones where hydrocarbon extraction is not economically viable, may be based on many factors, such as kerogen type or types present, total organic content, kerogen maturity, kerogen quality, and porosity. Making determinations as to the various parameters noted is a laboratory intensive analysis in the related art.
Any advance which makes identification of shale formation parameters faster, more accurate, and/or more consistent would provide a competitive advantage.